Lin Heung Wai, Port Run
Lin Heung Wai (Traditional Chinese: 蓮香圍, 2012 estimated population 2,000), sometimes as Lin Heung Wai New Town (Traditional Chinese: 蓮香圍新市鎮) after urbanization in 2010, is a principality in the Watersauga crown colony of Port Run. Etymology Lin Heung Wai is originally a walled village of the Heung family, a tribe of Punti Cantonese (Traditional Chinese: 本地廣東人). They named their walled village as "Lin Heung Wai" (lit. the walled village of lotus fragrance) due to the abundance of lotus flower growth on the Cosmoplay River, which is located immediately due west of the village. History In 1949, after Port Run is being annexed to Watersauga as a crown colony, Lin Heung Wai was a walled village of 550 people. It was under the administration of the Principality of Rayleighsburg effective on the annexation date. The local principality government agreed to give autonomy and self-governance to the walled village. Through the years, it had remained largely rural and self-governing. In 1997, in lights of the urban sprawl of Capitol City, real estate agents have been pursuading the Heung family to sell the walled village for real estate developments, but the family rejected the offer. It was alleged that the elder chief of the walled village declined the offer, and after his death in 2006, the family agreeably to sell the walled village and the adjacent farmland. The original residents, comprised of mostly the Heung family members, were arranged for free housing in the new town. In January 2007, the walled village was vacated, followed by a demolition in March 2007. Meanwhile, the Urban Council of Port Run (UC) was beginning to plan a sustainable community in the site jointly with the Development Bureau of Port Run (DEVB), claiming that it will provide housing units for at least 5,000 people. It was heavily criticized by some members of the public, claiming that it is not suitable to develop in the area due to a sensitive ecological environment, and the rarity of lotus flowers in Port Run (Lin Heung Wai is among the few spots where lotus could be found). In early stages of development, the development project is named Rayleighsburg - Lin Heung Wai New Town. "Rayleighsburg" was later dropped from the name after deciding new towns would form their own principalities upon completion. The UC and DEVB then revised their plans, and released the precursor to the Port Run Satellite Cities Project, in which the 2008 version claimed that Lin Heung Wai, along with the sister project of Lai Hoi New Town, the area could be home to up to 10,000 residents by 2012. The term "new town" was coined the first time in this report. Upon consultation with the public, Lin Heung Wai began constructions in 2010, followed by occupancy beginning in mid-2011 with the completion of Lin King Estate (Traditional Chinese: 蓮景邨). In September 2012, the population of the new town was estimated to be 2,000, short of the expected 3,700 residents. Geography The area is located on a partial swamp and lowland at the meander of Cosmoplay River. The swamp environment gives an ideal condition for Lotus flower growth in the area. Flooding is common in early-spring as snow melts, and during the summer in heavy rainstorms. Recent waterworks were completed to prevent flooding in the new town, with landscapes changing dramatically for new town development. The Lotus Flower Reserve and a swamp was kept in the southwest quadrant of the new town, reducing the original lotus flower area by 75%. The remaining shoreline was reclaimed and heightened with seawalls to prevent flooding. Lin Heung Wai covers an area of 1.3 km², separated by a strip of woods to the north from Rayleighsburg. Though in a continuous urban area of Capitol City, the new town itself is not a part of the Greater Capitol City Area, to distinct itself as the "back garden of Capitol City" (Traditional Chinese: 中環後花園). Facilities and planning concepts Mixed use was heavily encouraged in the new town. Commercial developments of multi-stories office buildings are found near the main roads in the new town. Offices are typically located upstairs, with "American small town" like style shops near ground level. Residential estates are mostly built in medium to high density, with the exception near the Lotus Flower Reserve area, where cottages are built. A nature reserve is also kept to form a partial greenbelt around the new town. The Lin Heung Wai High Tech Park is located to the east of the new town, offering jobs in the high tech sector. Features of the former walled villages were kept, like the traditional entrance to a walled village was kept near a pedestrian walkway into the new town, and a replica was built above the roadway entering the new town. The former well of the walled village was also kept in the Lin Heung Wai Central Plaza, designed as a community hub for the residents. The new town is a popular location for student population, with the University of Watersauga, Port Run Campus located nearby across the Cosmoplay River, and the Port Run Polytechnic College slightly farther away. Transport Roads * Colonial Highway 3 (Aviation Parkway) - connected to Millsport * Colonial Highway 4 (Quinte Highway) - the southern boundary of the new town - connected to South State Public transportation * Lin Heung Wai Bus Terminus, located in the Lin Heung Wai Central Plaza * Rayleighsburg - Lin Heung Wai Ferry Pier, which offers frequent scheduled passenger ferry services across Cosmoplay River to South State See also * Port Run Satellite Cities Project - Lin Heung Wai is the first generation product of the project * Lai Hoi New Town - A similar development / new town Nearby principalities Category:Port Run